OK, brewing guide is posted. It is one of the first posts in this topic ... and here:

You can view Thes du Japon's brewing suggestions by following the links (first post) above to the specific teas. You will notice that they suggest a HIGH ratio, greater than 1 gram : 1 ounce (30 ml).

I found that I prefered the more moderate 1:1 ratio, but this is subjective. Remember, you have 10 grams of each tea, so I would recommend at least two sessions so you can play around a bit. (Oku Midori has 9.5 grams ... not sure why I was a tad short on this one)

I did brew the Oku Midori at a higher ratio and liked it this way!

PAY VERY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE TIME SUGGESTIONS FOR THE MICRO-FERMENTED or you will have an unpleasant experience, it can be made bitter very easily. This tea requires very short brew times, and I prefered 1:1 versus the higher ratio recommended.

For all the teas, I liked 158* in a preheated pot. Oku I also liked cooler ... same with the Micro-fermented. Sae Midori can be brewed at various temps with satisfactory results.

Kamairicha ... I have yet to figure this one out. I am keeping an open mind, but Kamairicha is usually not my cuppa. I prefer its all steamed cousin, Guricha. I am open to suggestions on this one!!!

OTTI arrived today. Thanks, Chip!Brewed the Oku Midori first. 10g of leaf in 150ml of Iceland Spring water. 150ºF for 80 second first steep then 30 seconds and a third steep for 90 seconds.I enjoyed this sencha very much. Salty umami, no bitterness or astringency. Very clean. Light and refreshing. The aroma was excellent. I thought I caught just a hint of some spice, almost like nutmeg.Thes du Japon describes this as "long in the mouth". For me, the aftertaste was very pleasant, but didn't seem to last very long at all.The first steep was the best. The next two were much lighter. Next time I might go longer on following brews or use hotter water. The leaves are still in my kyusu. Maybe later I will try a forth steeping.I can see myself ordering more of this tea. I hope the others are as nice as this one. Glad I doubled up on this OTTI.

When I opened the package I was like did I order these from Adagio?!?, but then I realized they were just in Adagio packets!

Like Mike, I started with the Oku first, although I followed the site's brewing parameters, except I used a 1:1 ratio with water and leaves and got very good results. I've only had O-Cha and Den's sencha in the past but this one is very good and unique to both. No bitterness and a great umami taste. I would really consider purchasing this one again, although I need to wait and see if I like any of the other 4 more!

Just finished a light brew (7g/110ml/160F/1minute) of the Oku Midori. Its nice. Update: Tried it again @ (5g/50ml/160F/2.5minute). Lots of umami! I like.

Sae Midori too. Same brewing. Its OK. More chumushi than fukamushi.

Tried the Kamairicha (7g/110ml/175F/1minute). Its nice. Good toasty taste, but that goes away after the second steep. Otherwise its a bit lack-luster. I have a feeling hotter water might help. Update: Tried it hotter at (7g/110ml, 194F). Not too much different, but comes off a little more (good) bitter and a little toastier. I like it this way more.

Last edited by edkrueger on Nov 20th, '12, 15:20, edited 3 times in total.

I got the tea yesterday, but sadly had to leave shortly afterward for the rest of the afternoon and evening!

So I dove right into brewing after church today, and I went straight for the micro-fermented, mostly because it was "the new thing."

WOW!! This tea has a lot of ZING! I just finished my 6th steep and it was still quite a nice cup of tea. The aroma and taste is reminiscent of the usual vegetal profile, but much deeper. I wish I had the vocabulary to describe it. It reminds me of something, but I can't quite put my finger on it (whether it's a particular Chinese green or oolong... maybe that's what my brain is gravitating toward).

I realize that this type of sencha may not appeal to some folks, but I really, really enjoyed this one.

For reference, brewed 3.5g in 100mL Petr Novak shiboridashi; no preheat. Water at 165F, steeps at 40s, 20s, 20s, 20s, 20s, 60s. The second steep could have been 10s, as it was damned strong. And I just did a 180F 60s brew, I think it's near the end, but no untoward flavors.

Started off with "S" and for this first try I'm rating it a 3. Next time I'm going to hit this one a little harder with temp and steep time.

5 g, 4 oz spring water in a preheated porcelain houjin

1st, 155f, 1:20 - light delicate flavor that deepens into the aftertaste. Slightly vegetal, not astringent but there is something about it that reminds me of citrus. It has a refreshing quality.

2nd, 160f, 20 sec. - flavor was a little richer but still light and refreshing

3rd, 160, 25 sec. - light and fading

4th, 140, 45 sec. - didn't get much flavor out of this steep, just sweet water.

Over all I enjoyed this sencha and I feel like it's a nice tea to quench thirst on a hot summer day. I felt that citrus quality throughout the session and for that reason I think it would go really well with some seafood. It lacks that full, rich flavor that I find myself craving from sencha however.

Brewed the "micro-fermented" yesterday and the Sae Midori this afternoon.I stuck pretty close to the vendor's suggested parameters again.(Give or take) 10g of leaf in 150ml of 150ºF water. I've been liking Iceland Spring bottled water for green tea. I will use it on all these samples.

I'm not too sure what I think about the "micro-fermented" sample. It was very interesting to try. Tasted like a sweet sencha but smelled like a green oolong. Aroma in the empty cup was strong. Jasmine perfume. Seemed kind of confusing maybe. I am glad I tried it, but not sure if I would want to drink this regularly. But who knows? Maybe it could grow on me.

My first steep of the Sae Midori was my favorite. It was sweet with just a little astringency. The aftertaste wasn't too strong, but it was nice and fairly long lasting. Following steeps were a little more bitter. The soup was very cloudy.The more sencha I drink, the more I think I might prefer light steamed over heavily steamed. But this one was pretty good. I might brew it with a little less leaf next time.

sampling the fannings/smaller leaves at the bottom of the bags first. Roughly at 1:1. All brewed in uncovered porc houhin, poured into two cups.

Last night, the lovely K.Very good balance. Gets more subtle in flavour after 2n'd brew but not unsubstantial because the thickness is still there and remains savoury with green roasted sweetness and no 'done' tastes for some good heavy slurping into the 4th brew. Stopped at 4.

Today at work, the Okumidori. Second the recommendation for more leaf on this one. First go was already starting to teeter off by the second infusion.

I am always interested in reading comments on Sae Midori selections as they can be prety much across the board. While I often find them to be too mild for my personal taste, I like amping the session up a few notches and see what happens.

Remember, I think the Micro-Fermented selection is the most "needy" of this group. Pay very close attention to time brewing (and temp) recommendations ... 30 seconds tops for me for the first steep. Brewed right, it can really sing an unusual song. Too long and it quickly goes off-key.